Kate's Ironman - next sunday

Dear Friends - Thanks for all of your support and encouragment as I train for Ironman Arizona. The Ironman is next Sunday in beautiful Tempe. It is a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run. An Ironman race is one of the items on my life list/bucket list. I hope to knock it off the list this weekend but if not, I will try again next year. Who would have ever thought I'd make it this far? Plus, I've dropped 20 pounds and feel great!

Here is the deal. The race has several cut off times along the way. (See list of cut off times below) If I don't meet one of the cut offs the race officials make you stop. The race starts at 7:00a.m. with the swim portion. The first cut off time is 9:20. My swim times have been very close to that cut off time. I have no wiggle room on this time. No room for error. If I am NOT out of the water in 2:20 minutes I cannot continue. If I DO get out of the water by 2:20 then I have a shot at making it to the end. I will have 17 hours to complete the race and must cross the finish line by midnight. The swim is my weakest sport of the three.

If you want to track my progress you can go to www.ironman.com . You can look me up by my bib number (2436) or name. For those of you in Phoenix, please do not come down to the race. Traffic will be nuts. The website is the best way to see how I'm doing. If you do come down, I'll be wearing an ASU bike jersey and ASU running gear.

No matter what happens I'm glad I took this challenge. I will probably sign up for next years race. Wish me luck!! I'll need it!! Kate

Swim Cut Off (9:20 am - 2.4 miles/4224 yards/3862.425meters)
2 hours 20 mins = 2.4 miles = 3:37 mins per 100 meters

Bike Cut Off (3:00pm - 76 miles/ 4:15pm - 93 miles/ 5:30pm - 112 miles)
8 hours 10 mins = 112 miles = 13.71 miles per hour

Run Cut Off (10:15pm - 17.4 miles/ 12:00 am - 26.2 miles)
6 hours 30 mins = 26.2 miles = 14.53 mins per mile

One Week OUT!

Well, I have my race outfit ready to go. I decided to wear ASU gear for IMAZ. I had my tribe's bike jersey but it got ruined during my bike accident. Oh well. My 7 year old said she likes the ASU gear better anyway. Who can argue with a 7 year old?

I am also starting to organize my gear a bit into the correct piles. It is interesting to think of all the things I will need along the way. I'm excited and terrified at the same time.

I told my husband tonight that I would have to sign up again if I do not make the cut off. He said "I know." Then he said, "I also know you will have to sign up again if you DO make the cut off to prove you can do it better!" Ha! He knows me so well. Earlier today I had already looked up when athletes can register before the race. I have to do it! I know I can train better. Don't get me wrong. I know I have come a LONG way this year. BUT I know I can do so much better.

This will be a heck of a week. I think I'm going to sign up for Irongirl tomorrow and get another long run in. It is easier to run if I have a race!

4 weeks to go - 3 weeks of training

Well, it is crunch time!  I can't believe it is here already.  Wild.  I have a lot of work to do before the big race.  Today I road 78 miles followed by about a 30 minute run.  I need to get a schedule together for the last few weeks.  This is what it looks like so far.    I think I need to consult some of the other races for suggestions. 

10/30 - 112m bike
10/31 - ?

11/6 - 4000m swim & bike
11/7 - half marathon

11/13 - ?
11/14 - ?

52 days . . . What am I thinking?

I can't believe this race is coming right up.  I haven't blogged for a while b/c I have been in panic mode.  My training has been lacking, my weight is not coming off, and my life is interferring with Triathlon. 

I am going for it though.  I might be slow.  I might not make the cut off times.  I might not finish.  BUT . . . I will try. 

My latest issue is that I hurt my back on Friday so I missed a weekend of training.  How did I hurt my back?  Running?  No.  Swimming?  No.  Biking?  No.  Moving a table at work.  LAME!! 

Wish me LUCK!! 

Old photo from our flagstaff ride. 

BeeLine/Usery Loop - 50 mile Ride

Bush Highway/Beeline Loop =  50 miles

Today me and the boys (Joe, Geoff, and Ron) road a 50 mile loop.  It started out rough because it was so early.  Waking up at 4:30 a.m. to excercise is rough.  The ride was nice.  The first 20 miles was pretty but there was more climbing then I thought there would be.  I don't think I drank or ate enough b/c by the end of the ride I totally BONKED.  I was exhausted.  I don't think it helped that it was 97 degrees outside.  I've got a long way to go before this darn Ironman. 

100 days until the Ironman!

Here we go!  100 days until the Ironman Arizona.  What have I gotten myself into?  I'm so crazy. 

I've been trying to follow my training plan on  beginnertriathlete.com but I keep falling short on mileage.  I'm going to keep working on it but it is tough to stay up on everything when you have a job, children and responsibilities.  UGH! 

We will see how it goes.  It will be a wild ride! 

62 Miles!

Today we had a great ride out in Fountain Hills.  It was climbing and rollers all the way.  Jake, Geoff, Kate, Ron and Joe took off hard!  We met Joe on a ride last week and he joined us this week.  Luckily he was doing heart rate monitoring today.  He had to be in low zones for his work out.  Joe's low heart rate is my high!  Good match.  Joe is training for Half Ironman Singapore in March 2011.  We will be seeing a lot of Joe over the next several months!

I was really excited to have Jake take this ride.  He loves rollers and this ride was full of them. Unfortunately, Jake's knee was still having problems. About 8 miles into the ride I see Jake in the distance.  It isn't like him to be slow.  It REALLY isn't like him to get passed by me!  His knee was acting up again from his bike fit.  Poor guy.  I know he was really looking forward to this ride. 

At the turnaround for the first 20 miles we regrouped and started back.  I was really looking forward to it.  It was down hill 10 miles back to Fountain Hills.  We make the turn and I start following Geoff.  I was going about 28 miles per hour when I feel my tire going flat!  UGH!  Ron comes to my rescue and fixes it up.  Within 5 miles, Jake's tire blows.  UGH! 

When we get back into town Jake takes off to rest his knee and the rest of us take off for the next 40. 

I felt so much better this ride of Fountain Hills than last time.  I really worked on my hydration this time.  Last time I didn't dirink much water.  This time I drained a whole water bottle within the first 20 miles.  Much better.  Nutrition is key for these long rides! 

Today was the first day we went up the famous 9 mile hill!  They just put in bike lines!  We went up 5 of the 9 miles so we could hit 60.  10 mph up and about 23 mph going down.  I managed to get some shots going down b/c the bike lane was so smoothe.  Loved it! 

I am really enjoying this break in training but my Ironman plan will start in a couple of weeks.  I have been totally neglecting my swimming and running.  I've been trying to lose weight too but no luck.  I've got to get on the ball!

Great day overall!  I feel very fortunate to be out in a beautiful place with my loving husband beside me! Awesome!

Biking

I've been biking more than anything lately.  I really enjoy it and I'm trying to have fun with all of this.  Wednesday, Ron and I woke up at 4:15a.m. to go ride up South Mountain.  Crazy i know but biking is so awesome it is worth it. 

This weekend we are going to bike around South Mountain.  That should be pretty cool.  We have never gone that way and we've been wanting to.  I'm hpping to see some of the wild horses out at Gila River.  It is pretty early and quiet so we might have a shot. 

Hopefully I can get a few pictures. 

Rough Ride . . .

Ron, Geoff, and I went on the Fountain Hills ride yesterday.  The Rosier were sporting the Big R jerseys.  The best parts of the ride were the jerseys and the views.  It was BRUTAL!  I forgot how hilly it was.  I also forgot to drink enough water.  Not my best day.  We completed 52 miles.  It was ugly but I did it.

I decided I need to go on more mid week rides.  Yes, time to start increasing my mileage. I also think we should also start a little earlier.  We were riding at 6:00 a.m. but it got hot pretty quickly.  I think we need to start at 5 or 5:30 if we are going to increase the mileage.  It is getting hot out. 

I hit a spin class today.  I hope every little bit helps.  

The Endless Bonk! by Eric 6/1/2010 (Recapping last weekend's ride)

It has been a very long time since I've written anything here (not that anyone reads this). Life has gotten busy. Bottom line: I haven't been riding much.

I did ride with Team Bad-Ass last Saturday. It had been literally months since logging any serious mileage. I've ridden the stationary bike a little and rode a short Bike4Life event a friend from the City of Mesa organized. I also rode in the Ride of Silence which i co-organized (more to come on that later) Other than that, nothing.

The goal for last Saturday's ride was 50 miles with a decent amount of climbing (Usery Pass loop with a trip to Saguaro Lake) . I love the workout that the hills provide. It feels like you lungs are going to burst and your legs are on fire - awesome! Needless to say, I was pumped to be back with the group. The night before, I had all my gear in the car, the rack on the back, CamelBak full in the fridge. Ready.

The next morning, I'm up early (the ride leaves at 0600). Got some coffee & a banana and headed to the starting point. We roll out and I'm feeling great! Everyone is on road bikes, except me, on the MTB. My MTB has big tires. Probably triple the size of the road bikes'. I was too lazy to throw the slicks on and figured I'd be fine. I'm hanging with the group and we're cruising 17+mph. I even passed some of them on the down hill (hit 42.3mph)! At the bottom of the hill, it flattens out for a bit then we start a slight climb. No problem, right? WRONG! I absolutely died. I was spent. Only 5 miles in, and the tank was empty. No energy left. In cycling this is referred to as the "bonk". In running, it's "hitting the wall". I had another 45 miles to go with a big hill in the way. I'm screwed.

I managed to eat a PowerBar gel and get a little energy back. The road all the way out to Saguaro Lake was going to be a long one. The team flew by me. I'm one of the strong riders in this group; at least i used to be. They kept pulling away and pulling away putting more and more open road between us. At this point I realized that I put the "Ass" in "Team Bad-Ass". Everyone was kind enough to wait for me at the four corners stop sign (probably had phone calls to make, emails to return...). I pulled up, thanked them for waiting and told them they didn't have to.

We take off again , and I'm behind Kid Rocket (see earlier posts), I'm going to try to hang with him. That lasted about as long as a pot of coffee at an AA meeting. Next thing I know, Kate, who touts herself as "marginal" and "the girl rider" blasts past me in the aero bars leaving me to my familiar position; back of the pack.

I got to the parking lot of the Salt River tubing area just in time to see the rest of the team climbing up to the lake entrance. I figured "aw hell no". I pulled into the lot, sat and had a Power Bar, and waved off about a billion gnats wanting to feed on the sweat that was pouring out from under my helmet. Feeling a little more human, I decided to head up to the lake entrance. No sooner did I start up the hill, than the team came flying down towards me with Kate (still in the aero bars) leading the way. I decide to turn around and try to catch them.

I was feeling better now. The road from the lot back to the four corners stop was rolling hills which I was able to handle well. At least I handled them better than the way out. I made it to the four corners ready to tackle Usery aka "King Kong" (not my name for the hill another groups'). As I started up the hill, I was feeling pretty good. The hill is only 3 or so miles long and not too steep. I can usually do it in the big chain ring. After about a mile into the climb, I had to go to the middle ring; I was dying. At times I wished I did die, that way I wouldn't have to keep climbing this damn hill. Then I did the unthinkable, I stopped. I was so out of breathe, I couldn't go on. After a few minutes, I started back up the hill, this damned hill. There's no way I was going to let this stupid hill beat me. Down shift. Granny ring (smallest chain ring). No! This hill won't beat me. "Keep going. Keep going", I told myself. Then, I stopped again. This time for a few more minutes than the first time. Before My first "pause", I could see Ron & Kate ahead of me. Now, I couldn't. After what felt like an eternity straddling my bike on the side of the road, I continued. I made it to the top! Once I started down the hill, I was rolling pretty good. Unfortunately, coming down this side is much less steep than the climb. I averaged about 23mph all the way to the turn around/starting point. As I pulled into the parking lot, my left quad cramped up enough for me to take notice. I met the group back at the cars and proclaimed that i was wiped. I threw in the towel.

It turns out that you can't take a significant time out of the saddle and expect to ride like you did before the break. I also realized that my morning "nutrition" sucked which also contributed to my bonk. Typically, I eat a better breakfast before riding (and I will going forward). I have learned a valuable lesson.

On a happier note, I am proud of Team Bad-Ass. They have really stepped up the cycling. Kate in particular. She was on fire! I have seen marked improvement in her cycling. Ron too, he was cranking right along and keeping pace with Kate (something I couldn't do). I have a list to help me improve:

1. Ride more
2. Get a road bike (with gears)
3. Ride more

I have listed my mountain bike on Craigslist (sniff, sniff) and hope to apply the funds I get towards a new road bike.

I suppose when I say "I rode with Team Bad-Ass", it's a bit of an overstatement. Yes, I rode on the same day, on the same route, but certainly not with. It would be generous to even say that I chased them. It wasn't much of a chase. I'm looking forward to building back up the cardio so I can once again hang.

Fun Work Outs

I have been trying to add some fun into my work outs.  So far so good.  I started this weekend with two big rides.  The first was with my Native Biker Gang aka Team Bad Ass.  We rode 50 miles with heavy climbing.  The next day I went out with a group of people from the BeginnerTriathlete website.  See photo above.  It was great to meet people who had done the Ironman and who were training for the Ironman.  We rode about 32 miles on sunday. 

Besides the rides, I took a swim class, an interval work out class, and a Zumba class.  I think I have the most fun when i have people to work out with. 

On top of it all, we are doing a biggest loser competition at work.  There are 8 of us and a $200 pot.  winner take all.  I still hope to lose 20 pounds before the Ironman.  We'll see.

Melt down is over . . .

I decided I'm going to concentrate on weight loss and the stuff I want to enjoy until my 20 week Ironman plan starts.  I need to find some fun before it becomes REAL intense.  I CAN DO THIS!

WARNING: TRIATHLETE BREAK DOWN AHEAD!

Don't mean to be a drama queen but I QUIT! I'm tired from work, family, and life. How can I possibly fit in Triathlon?! Seriously? Let alone an Ironman!
My hubby thinks I'm paralyzed by fear right now. After the Half Ironman I know what it is going to take to get to Ironman Arizona and I'm stuck.

Nothing seems to be cooperating with my training. I'm stressed to the max. My family and young kids need me. I can't get enough sleep. I despise the swim. UGH!!

It seems like everyone else is totally committed and just keep going.  I don't know if I can do it.

UGH . . .

I have a race on Sunday and I feel very unprepared.  I don't like this feeling. I'm hoping that the end of the school year will bring me more work out time. 

I'll keep you posted on my the big race on Sunday.  Tempe International OLY distance

Silent Sunday at South Mountain

We had a great day of riding today.  Me and my boys tackled South Mountain.  It was Silent Sunday so the roads were closed to traffic.  AWESOME.  This is  a tough ride though b/c it is a 7 mile climb straight up.  I did it though!  The cutest part was that my friend Darlene hiked up the back side of the mountain to cheer us on.  I missed her going up and saw her as she was about to leave.  I almost cuased a crash but I had to get the photo!  Too cute.  I consider this a great training day! 

My Triathlon Slogan . . .

"Why suck in one sport when you can suck in three?"

El Tour de Phoenix

My race today was AWESOME! Ron and I were very proud of how we did. We took about 20 minutes off our time from the 66 mile ride in November. I'm so happy to see my training pay off! I'm also very happy Ron and I found something we can do together. I love riding with him.  We finished the race in 4:46:00. We would have been faster but Ron got a flat. That added about 11 minutes to our time. Ron said he could really see my training paying off when we hit a 4 mile climb at mile 60. He usually leads up the hill but this time I lead and he was wiped out. Ron and I finished side by side. I loved it.  Look how cute we are in our matching bike jerseys!  Here are some photos from the day.   

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Ready to Go Again!

So we rested for a week after the Half Ironman.  It is now time to gear up and go again.  Arizona Ironman, here I come! 


Tomorrow Ron and I are going to ride in the Tour de Phoenix. 72 miles. I'm looking forward to it!  I'll post some pictures soon. 

More race photos

Kate's raw neck from the swim cap.  I also have a burn on the back of my neck. 

Kate and Leah before the race. 

Kate and Peter waiting for our swim waves

Kate's Race Report

Ford Ironman 70.3 California
2010-03-27
Oceanside, California
United States
Ironman North America
Weather:  Sunny

Triathlon - 1/2 Ironman
Total Time = 8h 27m 10s
Overall Rank = 2127/2152
Age Group = F40-44
Age Group Rank = 92/97
Pre-race routine
My pre-race started roughly. I had a very long and hard week of work and didn't get to San Diego until 3:00 the day before the race. By the time we got up to Oceanside and checked into the hotel it was 5:30. My bro-in-law Peter took me to the check-in. I got super nervous at check-in b/c everyone looked like tri gods and godesses. He then took me to the swim, my biggest hurdle, to check out the course. It looked rough and choppy b/c the wind was blowing. We looked at it from 4 different views and it freaked me out.

After check-in we went to eat and it was 8:00 when we got back to the hotel. I was freaked out I hadn't had time to properly prepare for everything. I was hoping to meet up with my friend Leah but it was late and I was a mess. I got everything ready the best I could and went to bed.

Suzanne Peter and I met up at 5:05am to ride down to the race start. It was still dark and pretty chilly. We were layered up and had all of our stuff in our back packs. We got to transition and set up our stuff. I racked my bike and found my buddies again to get body marked.

There were a couple nice ladies racked next to me who made small talk as we got ready. By this time my nerves were sky high. One helped me zip my wetsuit and I helped a first time tri person setup transition.

I went to find Peter and we hung out with Theresa until we went to the start. As we watched the pros start, I had a calm feeling come over me. Nothing I could do now except give it a shot. My nerves relaxed, I said goodbye to my family and I headed to my wave. No turning back!
Event warmup:

There was no warm up. I really couldn't eat anything b/c I had a nervous stomach. I had a big dinner the night before so I felt OK about not eating.
Swim Comments:

I entered the shoot and tried to find my wave. Unfortunately, the put the waves too close together so we were all jammed together like sardines trying to get into the right groups. I felt bad for the people trying to wiggle their way through the sardines up to their groups. We were like cattle stuck together. We couldn't do anything but move with the crowd.

I am a bad swimmer and Open Water Swims are my greatest fear. Luckily, I was in a calm zone when I got to the start. I was just moving with the crowd observing and moving. When I got the start I dropped my flipflops and got into the water.

The water was about 58/59 degrees. It wasn't as cold as I thought. I had prepared by wearing a skull cap under my race cap and I pee'd in my wetsuit to keep me warm. (That's what people told me to do!) It was a 75 meter swim to the start. I immediately put my head in the water to get myself use to the cold. Not bad. I could handle it. The water was very salty. Slight shock but I had done a salty swim about a month ago. It was good practice.

As I got the start I went to the far right edge of the group. The bouys were on the left. So far so good. Calm and not freak out panic like usual. My group was ages 40-44 and older men. I felt pretty comfortable.

We got the start and I started! I was calm and cool and kept moving. I knew I was slow but I was pretty steady. The life guards were pretty good at keeping everyone on course. I kept going and moving. I felt decent the first few hundred meters. I'd get off course and then correct again. When we doglegged out of the harbor I knew I was getting mixed up. I'd swim and get out of line. I was trying sight but it was hard to see the bouys. I finally turned the corner but I knew I had messed up my mojo. I was getting passed right and left. I saw pink caps, blue caps, red caps, white caps, yellow caps and I think some purple caps.

As I came approached the last 500 meters they were funneling us all into a narrow alley. There was alot of contact and people were pushing me out of the way right and left. You could tell the good swimmers were totally annoyed that I was blocking their path.

I finally reached the end and was so happy to get a hand from the wet suit strippers. I did it!! I totally did it!! I was slow, I was steady but I did it!!

As I took off my skull cap I could feel that I had been rubbed raw under my neck. Yuck!

What would you do differently?:

I really need to work on the swim. I not only finished the BOP of my age group but I also finished the back of several other age groups! UGH! I think I need total immersion swim training or something similar to help this ugly situation. It was UGLY but I did it . . . and I'm PROUD I did it.

T1Comments:

I ran into the transition with a big old smile on my face. I did it! I did it. After the swim, I knew I could do the rest! Hooray!

I got back to transition proud but a little uncertain of where I was at compared to others in my division. When I got back to the rack I saw the lady who helped me put my wetsuit back on. Whew. At least someone in my division was still around! I had a hard time getting out of my wetsuit. Had a hard time deciding what to wear. The sun was shining but I was cold from the swim. I opted to put a short sleeve shirt over my trisuit. (too chunky to wear the tri suit all by itself) I sat down twice. Once to get the wetsuit off and once to get my shoes on. I was clearly flustered now that I look back. I finally got it together and took off.

What would you do differently?:

I would have a better plan of what I needed to wear. I would also practice my transitions more before the race.

Bike Comments:

I started the race and was sky high the first 20 miles. It was beautiful, I had a decent pace, and I had survived the swim. Awesome! I even got a little emotional at times. I was ready b/c I knew the hills were coming and I had to be on the look out. I had done a practice ride on a computrainer for the hills. Unfortunately, the computer ride didn't do the hills justice. They were rough! I was going 3 to 4 mph up those babies! My proudest accomplishement after the swim was that I didn't have to walk up the hills. I powered through them just as I practiced but they kicked my rear end!

Besides the hills I had to battle the wind. During some spots the wind was so tough I dropped down to my little chain ring so I could keep going. No fun!

The last 15 miles I tried to push it to up my bike time but I couldn't get it over 14 mph. UGH.

I was happy with my nutrition. I took a couple salt sticks, I ate bananas when they were offered. I drank ever 15 minutes. I did a gu every 45 minutes unless I got food on the route.

I was disappointed with my bike time but I was happy I got through it.

What would you do differently?:

I need to work on my biking. I have no technique. I need to find some. I think I might be a decent biker with a little coaching.

T2 Comments:

OK transition. I don't remember much of this one. I was TIRED after the bike. As I ran out of the transition, I immediately stopped and got some water and washed off my face. I was TIRED!

What would you do differently?:

Get faster.

Run Comments:
Wow. I hit the wall on the run. I planned on running the first 6 miles. I couldn't I had to walk at mile 2. I was TIRED! I walked every aid station and took a little bit of water and gatoraid. About mile 4 I had to keep walking. Luckily, I had a woman come up to me named LyLy. She said she had been trying to keep up with me the whole race. I said "you caught me, Good luck! See you at the finish." She was so nice and said, she couldn't do much more than what i was doing so let's do it together. We started walk running together. We then met up with Dave. Dave had hurt his knee and needed some motivation too. The three of us walked and ran the rest of the way together.

On loop two we were all losing steam. Dave's knee was hurting. I was ready to send them on their way but they stuck with me. The three of us knew we were ok b/c we had calculated the cut off times. We had time to finish even if we walked the rest of the way. We powered through together and kept going. When were about making our turn to go back the last 3 miles we met up with another guy named Scott. He like me and Dave was also from Arizona. He like the rest of us needed the extra push to keep going. Dave came up with the idea to walk a light post, walk a light post. It got us to the end.

Around mile 11 we saw the last athlete on the run go by starting their second loop. We knew he was the last athlete b/c he had a motorcyle following behind him. It was a weird feeling knowing I was that close to the end of the cut off. When we finally came to the end, there was a bridge we had to cross. We all decided we would run when we hit the bridge to the finish. That was less then a mile at that point. LyLy took off and I was chasing her, Dave and Scott stopped. As I was turning the corner I heard my friend Leah's name being called at the finish. I soon heard LyLy's name then mine!

I did it!! I finished and within the cut off time! Thank goodness! I owe Dave and LyLy and Scott a big thank you for keeping me moving. I don't know if I could have done it without them. If I could have, it wouldn't have been as enjoyable.

What would you do differently?:

I needed more run training. I knew I was neglecting my run.

Post race

I went through the finish line, got my medal, got my hat and started back to the bikes. I was looking for Leah b/c I knew she had recently finished. I walked through the food tent and to the bike but didn't see her. As I got to my bike I sat down and stretched. I had a woman take a photo of me with my medal and packed it up. My sis came and got me and we walked back to my family waiting in my van. It was a good day.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Weight was a big factor in my performance. I know I could do better if I was about 20 to 30 pounds lighter. I also need to work on my technical skills in all three sports.

Event comments:

This was a good race. Challenging, beautiful, great weather and awesome volunteers. I think I have to sign up again to try to beat my times!

Want to follow us?

If you want to check us out during our race you can watch our progress on-line.  The race director sent us this message the other day. 

TRACK YOUR ATHLETE: If your friends and family cannot make it to Oceanside, they can still cheer you on via www.ironman.com. They can look you up by bib number, age group or name.


I think there is a tracker that pops up on race day. My bib number is 1577, Peter's number is 953, and Suzanne's number is 1893.

Lake Bartlett Olympic Tri

I did the Lake Barlett Olympic distance Tri today. In short, it was tough! Really really tough.

Swim: That water was brrrrr cold! 60 degrees. 1500 meters. Good thing I had on a neoprene skull cap and neoprene booties. Those really helped out. I can't imagine doing that swim without them. Overall the swim turned out ok. Then again I had my own private freak out for the first 500-600 meters. My breathing was out of control and my heart rate was crazy jacked up. After the 3rd buoy I was able to get off my back and get back into the swim. Strokes weren't great, but I was get to get through it. Best part - no ice cream headache.

Bike: Bike was tough. Two out and back loops. The "out" was all up-hill. Most of the grade ranged between 5 and 10%. Started at 1812ft and went up to about 3000ft. Avg about 5-6 mph going up the hill and up to 36 mph going down. Really. It was spooky going that fast for that long. My legs were completely shredded by the end of the ride. Even though it was only 24 miles, it seemed much much longer.

Run: The 10k run was crazy tough too. About 400 feet elevation gain. Lots and lots of hills. Grade between 5-10%. Steepest grade at 14%. In short, it had lots of hills that were long and steep. My time was not good. For a good portion I averaged about a 12 min mile. I ended up with an 11:01 min mile. This is significantly slower than what I planned. Then again, I was able to finish.

I am wiped out. I will be sleeping well tonight. I am glad I got that cold open water swim out of the way!

Only 5 days to Carlsbad!

8 Days

8 Days!

It is officially Freak Out Time!

Freaky! Outy! Freaky! Outy!

Today was a good day!

It was a great day in Kate's Triathlon World. (1) I was able to get up the computrainer hills and they were not as bad as i thought. I was slow and steady but I did it. (2) I had a great chat with a tri coach. He was administering my computrainer ride. He was pleasant, informative, easy to talk to and happy to help me. He had done the CA70.3 before and is doing it this time too. He also raced IMAZ twice! I'm going to see what I can set up with him after this race. (3) He reminded me that I would be racing in the 40 age group this tri season. Guess what?! That gives me like 15 more minutes in the swim!! Hooray!! I feel ike a ton of bricks have been taken off my back.

70 Miles! Wow! I did that?

Today me and my buddies rode 70 mile on our road bikes.  I'm so excited.  I can't believe I did it.  I got my bike in April of last year.  I could not go over 16 miles an hour, I was spent after 13 miles, and I was scared to ride down hills.  Today we averaged 16.5 miles per hour, traveled 70 miles, and my fastest time was 40.5 miles per hour going down hill.

If you really think about it, I shouldn't be able to do this.  I'm an overweight mom of two who is going to turn 40 this year.  I can't swim well and I've had a road bike less then a year.  How did this happen?  Well, anyway, enough about me. 

The ride was great.  Suzanne, Peter, Ron, Denten, and I took the 70 mile challenge.  It was a beautiful day for a ride.  Gary met us in Phoenix and rode the rest of the way with us.  We road to the end of Pecos road on the South Side of South Mountain.  I love being around the mountains.  At mile 56 I was TIRED!  Luckily we stopped and fueled up at a bagel shop.  It was just enough to get me home.  It also helped that  Gary was our pacer the last 10 miles.  He had us going 18-20 miles an hour on my hardest stretch of the ride.  Thanks to him, we kept our average speed up to 16.5 mph. 

I'm proud I did the ride.  It was a great work out.  I hope it helps with the Half Ironman! 

PS - I dedicate this ride to Judi for her 50th birthday! 

Firebird Triathlon Race results

The race results are up for our triathlon.  Suzanne kicked BUTT and finished 1st in her age group and 8th overall for women.  She is a rock star. Peter did well too.  He was not a "Suzanne type" finisher but he did a good job. 

Here are my times for the event. 

Swim = 16.19 for 600m
Transition 1 = 2.50
Bike = 44.18 minute for 12 miles
Transition 2 = 1.56
Run = 37.32 minutes for 3 something run.  (people think it is long)
Total time = 1.42.56

At first I was really bummed with my performance.  The swim was not what I was hoping for.  I thought I had my open water swim panic issues under control so I was truly dissapointed I had to flip to my back to get my heart rate down.  After seeing the final times I am ok with this race.  It is the first race of the season and I'm just working out the kinks for the big race.  I have improved quite a bit from my first races.  I just need to keep moving and remember most people wouldn't even attempt something like this. 

Firebird Lake Triathlon

Here are some photos from today's Sprint Triathlon at Firebird Lake.  The distance of the race was 600m Swim, 12 mile bike, and 5k run.  The photos are of me and Peter and my internet training buddy Lisa.  I'll add more and give an update soon. 

Suzanne was there but got there too late for pictures.  She did awesome.  She finished 8th overall for women and 2nd in her age group.  Oh, to be young again! 

Usery Pass Ride - 40 miles

Today Ron, Jake and I tackled Usery Pass.  Usery Pass is always a hard ride because you have to ride uphill 4 miles straight during one portion.  Tough but awesome.  Jake (aka Kid Rocket) wasn't feeling so great so he only went one loop.  Let me tell you . . . I'd love to be as fast as "sick" Jake.  He is FAST!  Ron and I tackled two loops and felt really good with our times.  I took some photos to show everyone how pretty it was.  The desert was green from all the rain. 

Resting up this evening for a small triathlon tomorrow morning. It is supposed to rain but I'm ok with it. I mainly want to get an open water swim under my belt! Peter, Suzanne, and one of my on-line buddies are doing the race with so it should be funsville. I'll keep you posted.